Venturing on Forest Roads
The weather over Memorial Day weekend wasn't looking that great, but we knew we wanted to get out and enjoy the great outdoors on our 3-day weekend. Saturday had the lowest chance of rain, so we decided that was the day we were hiking. Rain wasn't supposed to start until mid-afternoon, so we figured if we got to the trailhead by late morning that we would be okay. The trail we chose was hiking up a bunch of forest roads that are typically used for offroading. However, there were some recent reviews on hiking websites that said the OHV gate was closed, which meant that it would be perfect for hiking without all the 4-wheelers trying to run us over. The trail we picked was hiking up to Panorama Peak which starts at Pole Hill Road just outside of Estes Park. We built it up in our heads as something that would probably have pretty awesome views at the summit. That build-up lead us to disappointment at the summit where there were so many trees that you couldn't get a clear view of the surrounding mountain ranges.
As we walked up to Panorama Peak, we noticed an observation tower. We thought it was pretty awesome that there was a public tower in the middle of Rosevelt National Forest. But we quickly realized that it was locked and we couldn't go up. We later found out it's owned by a local OHV company. So in order to get panoramic views at Panorama Peak, you have to pay an OHV company to drive you up there. Oh well, there are other places that we can get panoramic views for free that people can't simply pay someone to drive up to.
The hike itself was pretty great other than the summit. This hike is right outside of Estes Park and its peak tourist season, so we were expecting to have to fight for a parking spot in the small, half-dozen car lot. But as we drove up, we found 2 other cars there. Since the whole point of hiking is to get away from everyone, we both thought this was great, and didn't see a single person on the hike except at the summit (where there was an OHV tour group that we presume got to go up the tower).
The 3-mile hike to the summit included some great views of still snow-capped Longs Peak through the trees and views of the Mummy Range. As the storms rolled over the mountains, we got to see all different types of lighting, ranging from fully sunny to very stormy over Longs Peak. But luckily for us, the storms parted as they went over Estes Park and we didn't get a single drop of rain during our 3 hour hike. We intended to head to the Notch as well on this hike, which would have only added a mile onto the hike, however, we missed the turnoff onto FDR 247D. After the hike, we looked it up and saw the road was at the bottom of the large meadow we passed through, and the photos I took confirmed that there was a road there, but it was completely fenced off.
6.25 mi
2.7 hrs
9,267 ft
1,155 ft
Glimpse Through the Trees
There were several places along the hike where you could see Longs Peak through the trees. All the photos ended up looking exactly the same, but I think the clouds in this one really brings some texture to the photo. You can see Mt Olympus right in the center of this photo (the smaller rock feature below the prominent mountain range).
Growing From a Pine Cone
These Western Spring Beauty flowers weren't really growing out of the pine cone, but there were thousands of them scattered across the ground. They weren't clumped together, but mostly individual from one another.
Warning
I'm guessing the tour company posed this sign to have a little fun with their tour groups, but I thought it was pretty funny since you don't typically see signs like this in the middle of a hike.
From the First Summit
At the top, there was a fork in the road and we first followed it to the Southwest which lead us to this view. This isn't exactly a panoramic view, so we figured that the better view was the other direction on the fork.
Panorana Tower
We found this tower at the true summit of Panorama Peak, however it was locked and we weren't allowed to go up it.
Un-panoramic Views at Panorama Peak
This was the view that we got at the summit of Panorama Peak. This was pretty disappointing. I guess if you truly want the panoramic views you have to pay the OHV company to let them in their tower.
Storms Rolling In
On our way down from the summit, the mountains started getting pounded with rain. Luckily for us, the storms never made their way over to where we were.
Curvy Road
There was a big open Meadow on the hike which gave us some great views. However, since it was stormy, most of the mountains were covered or hazy. Right where the meadow ends you can see a fenced off section, which is where the road for FDR247D is supposed to be.
Calypso Orchid
I was surprised to find a wild orchid growing in Colorado. I thought orchids needed warmer environments, but it turns out that there are a number of orchids that are native to Colorado. I'll have to try and find more on our hikes.
Ruining the Scenery
Pole Hill Road mostly follows a power line, so many of the trails had power lines going right over them, or very near in the distance.
Best Panorama of the Day
The best panorama came pretty close to the end of the hike when we ventured off the trail a little bit onto a big rock. There were still a few trees in the way, but I'll take what I can get since the summit let us down pretty bad.
